# CVE-2004-0172: Memory corruption in n/a

> Local attackers can execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges via a heap overflow in ltrace if it is installed as a setuid binary.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 23 Feb 2004
- **Updated:** 8 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7mw5-528h-7m9c

## What is CVE-2004-0172?

CVE-2004-0172 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 23 Feb 2004. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Heap-based buffer overflow in the search_for_command function of ltrace 0.3.10, if it is installed setuid, could allow local users to execute arbitrary code via a long filename.  NOTE: It is unclear whether there are any packages that install ltrace as a setuid program, so this candidate might be REJECTed.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2004-0172?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Juan Cespedes Ltrace.

## How do I fix CVE-2004-0172?

No fix has been published for CVE-2004-0172 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2004-0172 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2004-0172 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2004-0172 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2004-0172 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in n/a, published on 23 Feb 2004. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2004-0172 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0172/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0172/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2004-0172
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2004-0172
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2004-0172

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0172/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.